bartshan-83

Round-a-BOUND....Round-a-BOUND! Nice find...my wife has a Tom Tom...I might just commandeer it for a little while.

Ahhhh....so you're a math guy! I found your weakness! Only word puzzles from now on!!

95% of the time it is likely just a result of a player being wined and dined lavishly and given a contract offer that wasn't insulting. "This really is a first class organization" = They flew me out here on a G-4, had 30 people waiting to kiss my ass as I walked in the door, put a huge banner with me in my new jersey on the wall and told me how wonderful I was." "They really know how to treat their players" = They offered me $3MM more per year than the last team I visited. But not all these guys are idiots...and I'd suspect in 5% (or more) of the cases it is a genuine endorsement that the organization treats the players as men and with respect. They aren't patronized and they aren't tossed around like poker chips.

I assumed Corp was joking....this isn't exactly a secret.

George: "You um... wanted to see me Mr. Steinbrenner?" Stein: "Yes George, come in, come in. You know George I've been your biggest supporter around here and that's why I was so disappointed to hear that you been pilfering the equipment." George: "George would never do anything like that." Stein: 'No why would I. I own it." George: "Right!" Stein: "So what are you saying?" George: "Why would George steal from the Yankees?" Stein: 'He wouldn't." George: "Of course not" Stein: "Exactly..........I don't what the hell's going on here." George: "Sir?" Stein: "Nothing." George: "Well seems it's about time for George's lunch." Stein: "Yes it is. Well lets see what I have today. Darn it It's ham & cheese again and she forgot the fancy mustard. I told her I like that fancy mustard. You could put that fancy mustard on a shoe and it would taste pretty good to me. Oh! She made it up with a cupcake though. Hey look at this . you know I got a new system for eating these things. I used to peel off the chocolate now I turn them upside down , I eat the cake first and save the frosting for the end. RIP Boss....

YESTERDAY: 1. Florence Nightingale, Neil Armstrong, Michael Bloomberg, Pierce Brosnan, Richard Nixon, George Balinchine, Fidel Castro, Charles Dickens 2. 40 steps Well done to you math whizzes...and beerballer. TODAY: 1. Use each clue to form a phrase that consists of two words differing by one letter in the same position. For example: GRIME GRIPE. 713 1. Select a rose color ...... _ _ C _ / _ _ N _ 2. Worth of heart part with a flap ..... _ _ _ V _ / _ _ _ U _ 3. Made an ocean's bottom airtight ..... _ _ _ L _ _ / _ _ _ B _ _ 4. Cause a favorable effect on a female monarch ..... I _ _ _ _ _ _ / E _ _ _ _ _ _ 5. One giving a lethal drink to an inmate ..... _ R _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ O _ _ _ _ _ _ 6. Old music machine snapshot ..... _ _ _ N _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ T _ _ _ _ _ _ 2. In this word ladder, make your way from TOOTH to BRUSH in just seven steps, changing one letter at a time to make a common, uncapitalized English word at each step. 116 TOOTH _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BRUSH

There he is! I was going to have to do it myself if no one else mentioned him.

Sorry for your loss, bud. But he did receive a peaceful death...something to be said for that. Also, trust that people here do care when things like this happen. TBD is a community and a loss like this does not go uncared for. Whether or not I met him, you or your family is not important. RIP! PS - AJ..."Sylvester Knickerbocker?" That's one helluva an awesome name!

Since I forgot to post on Friday, here's two: 128, 22 LAST WEEK: 1. firecracker, crackerjack, jackrabbit, rabbit punch, punch card, cardboard, boardwalk, walkabout, about-face, Facebook, book fair, fair exchange, exchange student, student body, body double, double-cross, crossfire. 2. microorganism....well done Sage. I must have stared that one for 20 minutes before crumbling it up and throwing it in the trash. TODAY: ***Thanks to people who are putting their answers in yellow font. I think that is cool so more people can do them w/o seeing the answers.** 1. Many famous people's initials lend themselves to self-descriptive phrases. For example. "Wrote Sonnets" works well for "William Shakespeare." Identify the famous people below. 1. Famous Nurse 2. Noteworthy Astronaut 3. Mayor Billionaire 4. Played Bond 5. Resigned Notoriously 6. Generated Ballets 7. Fettered Cuba? 8. Created Drood 2. In a department store, there are two identical escalators side by side. One moves upward at a certain rate, and the second moves downward at the exact same rate. Two men each walk down a different escalator, stepping on every step as they descend and always taking one step per second. The man walking down the down escalator takes 24 steps to reach the bottom, and the man walking down the up escalator takes 120 steps to reach the bottom. If the escalators instead had not been moving, how many steps would either man have taken to reach the bottom?

Setting last night's circus aside, the most troubling part of this whole situation is how willingly LeBron gave away his chance to be known as the GOAT. There is literally nothing he can do now to get that back. 10 rings? It won't matter. He accepted a legacy ceiling "one of the greatest" and that is sad. Someone who wants to be remembered as the best ever doesn't join the one situation in the league where he won't even be alpha dog. He says he did this to win titles because w/o titles he can't be considered the greatest. How ironic that he just sunk his own ship in that regard.

They'd be pretty awesome...I think this whole "3 Stars and 9 minimum-salaries" thing is a little overplayed...we're talking about an unprecedented joining of talent in their primes, not your average title contender. I think LeBron could thrive by altering his game to be more of a point forward. He could put up Magic Johnson numbers (I'd see 21-9-13 as reasonable), especially with Wade. And it also appears that these guys already have great chemistry. The things they don't have that the Celtics did are hunger and good role players. This is strictly my opinion, but I think Wade is the only one of those three that has the mindset that Allen/KG/Pierce had when they got to Boston. LeBron still seems to care more about his "brand" and Bosh just seems like he wants to be famous and live in South Beach. This could change in time and it could also all be bull ****. But despite the orgy of talent they would bring to Miami, they will need hunger and cohesion to win multiple rings. LA and Boston aren't ready to leave the party yet, Orlando isn't going anywhere, OKC is coming up, Chicago is coming up, etc. No one is going to lay down for them and the talent gap isn't so great that they can cruise.

Yeah, Simmons runs hot and cold. I read him because his passion for the NBA is unmatched and for the most part, I enjoy his style and flow (he can get a little too ADHD for me though). I thought that paragraph was stupid as well...but I do subscribe to the idea that a LeBron/Wade/Bosh trio has weaknesses and is a classic "whole is less than the sum of its parts" situation. The LeBron/Wade dynamic will be very interesting to follow...it will not be easy for them to maximize their effectiveness together. But it just may be (as Simmons pointed out) that LeBron is not a Kobe/MJ-wired killer and he never will be. If this is the case, then he needs a Wade anyway.

Another good take from Bill Simmons. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...=simmons/100708 I'm starting to think that LeBron choosing someone other than Cleveland on TV will officially end the Buffalo vs. Cleveland "Most Suffering Sports Cities" debate. I've championed Buffalo for as long as I can, but this would put us back in 2nd place (ironically a spot we know all too well... )

The Jordan Shadow is definitely something to think about. But you could also think of it in terms of creating a multi-generational dynasty. Kobe isn't diminished due to Magic just as Magic isn't diminished due to Kareem and just as Kareem isn't diminished due to West. They all become part of the legacy of a dominant franchise. Not many teams have dynasties that span generations. LeBron could conceivably elevate Chicago to that very elite stratosphere by winning 4-6 more rings. Now the history of the Bulls no longer starts and ends with Chapter 1: Michael Jordan. It gives him the chance for the greatest legacy ceiling I think. He could actually manage to do the impossible, which is steal a little of the historical spotlight from MJ by making the Bulls about more than just the Jordan Years. Plus, the same history which will judge him as potentially weak if needs Wade/Bosh to win will praise him louder if he defeats them. And I don't think NJ is the worst situation, but it is not an immediate win situation. I think he might have a better chance of winning with Amar'e and the Knicks than he does with Harris and Lopez. If it's all about guaranteeing a title and nothing else, I'd go: 1. Miami 2. Chicago 3. Dallas 4. NY 5. NJ 6. LAC 7. Cleveland

Sorry for the absence...I was cooking like a piece of bacon at the Delaware beaches. I don't know how hot it was this weekend in upstate NY, but it was brutal in the DE/PA/MD area. I feel like Stewie in the tanning episode of Family Guy. Anyway: LAST WEEK: 1. Game 1: things you catch ::: Game 2: words that precede "pants" 2. 19 socks 3. The Man in the Iron Mask, Arsenic and Old Lace, Ulee's Gold, Silver Streak, Platinum Blonde, Tin Cup TODAY: 1. Fill in the blanks with consonants to complete the 13-letter word below: _ I _ _ OO _ _ A _ I _ _ 2. Use all the words below to form a chain in which each word links to next to create a common compound (or hyphenated) word or phrase. The chain starts with FIRE and links to CRACKER to make FIRECRACKER. Then CRACKER links to another word and so on. The chain comes full circle, ending with FIRE. FIRE CRACKER ABOUT BOOK RABBIT FAIR DOUBLE EXCHANGE WALK BOARD FACE CARD BODY PUNCH JACK CROSS STUDENT

I have to believe he already decided on Miami awhile ago and both Wade and Bosh know it. If he wants to win multiple championships, he really has two choices...Miami or Chicago. Teaming up with Amar'e in NY doesn't make them much better than Miami (maybe even worse). Staying in Cleveland is a great story, but its a losing proposition. Going to NJ/Brooklyn is stupid. Chicago with Rose, Boozer and Noah would be pretty filthy. And as I mentioned in another thread, it's his best chance to win and not tarnish his brand. If he goes to Miami and wins 6 rings, people are still going to always make the argument that, at best, he needed Wade and/or Bosh, and at worst, Wade was actually the driving force. And while I sort of agree that this whole thing is a little ridiculous (the announcement special), remember that he will announce within the first 10 mins. It won't be 59 minutes of lead-up. And honestly, if there weren't crazy ass people to watch these kinds of things (myself included), there wouldn't be a market for it. Buftex, I agree that this would be an unnecessary kick in the nuts for Cleveland if he spurns them. But I also don't think it really matters that much. If he's leaving, it will devastate that city and its fans...the method in which they hear about it won't really make that much of a difference.

Forget Biff, but I'd have thrown in a vote for his great-grandfather: "Mad Dog? I hate that name. I hate it. You hear? Nobody calls me "Mad Dog", especially not some duded-up, egg-suckin' gutter trash." Love those movies!

Yo don't call another man's poll little...not cool.

I think its a really good question. My gut says no, I wouldn't be nearly as excited if we won a Super Bowl with replacement players. But then I don't really know why. The only reason I can think of would be because the whole season wouldn't seem real and we wouldn't really be watching the highest level of competition. But then again, it boils down to the Bills winning a Super Bowl.

I'd give them something...probably somewhat similar to what you said. Maybe like $50K...it depends on how close you are. I mean, the guy is probably going to think about his decision to drop out everyday for the rest of his life. Kinda F'd up to completely cut him out.

What a moron. The guy who hit her should sue her. Great clip there...that's exactly what I thought of when I read that.

3. Each movie title below contains the name of an element in the periodic table. However, we've abbreviated every non-element word by giving its first two letters only and for each element, we've given its symbol. Solve the movie titles. 1. TH MA IN THE Fe MA 2. As AN OL LA 3. UL au 4. Ag ST 5. Pt BL 6. Sn CU

2. Toni has 10 identical blue socks, 14 identical green socks and 4 identical red socks in a drawer. She removes socks from the drawer one at a time at random without looking. What is the fewest number of socks that Toni needs to pull out to be sure of having 4 pairs of socks all of the same color?

YESTERDAY: Car loan. Yeah, it was a little weak too I think. But you guys nailed it. TODAY: With the holiday coming up, I figured I'd give you a few extra. I think these are a good mix. Good luck! ***AND GENERAL ANNOUCEMENT - Maybe you could put your answers in yellow so people who want to do it don't accidentally see yours. If you want...*** 1. (These instructions might not make the most sense, but hopefully you'll follow). You get five clues to name a category. Look at the clues (1-5) one at a time and make a guess at what you think the category is before you look at the clue. If you get the category right, add up the points in parenthesis starting with your first correct guess. A total of 50 is passable, 100 is very good, over 100 is remarkable. To keep you from looking ahead at the next clues, I've put them in yellow. Highlight the next one when you've made your previous guess. Game 1 1. cold (100 pts) 2. fish (80) 3. a train (50) 4. a Frisbee (25) 5. some z's (10) Game 2 1. hot (100) 2. sweat (80) 3. fancy (50) 4. cargo (25) 5. smarty (10)

I'd be cool with being a sacred animal for a few years. I wouldn't mind doing a run as a dog too...as long as I'm not some frou frou puss dog like a Bichon. Very funny movie...classic Albert Brooks.